"The US authorities will transfer Yemeni detainees from Guantanamo prison to Yemen in groups," Xinhua quoted al-Qerbi as saying in a statement carried by the Yemeni defence ministry website.

"We will start to make contact with the US authorities to prepare for receiving the Yemenis held at Guantanamo," he said.

US President Barack Obama has pledged to lift the restrictions on detainee transfers from the US military base and repatriate Yemeni prisoners.

The Yemeni government has repeatedly demanded the US to hand over Yemeni citizens detained in Guantanamo. It says it has prepared a special programme to integrate the returning detainees into the Yemeni society.

About 84 Yemenis have been held at the US military detention centre for more than a decade without trial, Xinhua said.

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